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Glite Dictionary
subchondral

subchondral

1 9.4
Bone under the cartilage of a joint
  • adjective
  • /sʌbˈkɒndrəl/
  • Specialized
: subcondral
  • Hand osteoarthritis (HOA) is described by gradual damage to articular cartilage linked to degradation of subchondral bone, joint borders, and periarticular structures.

Examples

  • MRI scans can reveal the condition of the subchondral bone beneath the cartilage in diagnosed joint disorders.

  • Consequently, subchondral bone segmentation from MR images has recently become a subject of keen attention, and several research groups are focusing on developing computational methods for accurate segmentation as semi-automatic or fully automatic methods.

    Academic text (2017)

  • In patients with osteoarthritis, the subchondral bone often shows changes that contribute to pain and mobility issues.

  • The doctor explained that the subchondral area of the joint is crucial for maintaining healthy cartilage.

Surface Forms

subchondral positive

Morphology

subchondral = chondral (transparent) = sub + chondral

Formation is a straightforward prefixation: 'sub-' (under) + 'chondral' (relating to cartilage) = beneath the cartilage; the relation is literal though medical.

Etymology

Subchondral comes from sub- meaning 'under' and chondr- meaning 'cartilage', so it literally means 'under the cartilage'. That's why subchondral describes the bone or area right beneath the cartilage in a joint.